


Cherry Wine

by FadingFlares



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, Hurt/Comfort, Hybrid Louis, Hybrids, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-22
Updated: 2017-11-05
Packaged: 2019-01-21 08:38:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,918
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12453636
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FadingFlares/pseuds/FadingFlares
Summary: Louis is a hybrid who's quickly losing faith.Then he meets a man with the forest in his eyes and a heart of gold. Or maybe catnip. Louis hasn't decided yet.





	1. The Beginning

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, thank you so much for being here.  
> I hope you enjoy it! xx

Louis’ life had never been supposed to come to this point. He had been supposed to live a life full of warmth and happiness, of gentle touches and, most of all, he had been supposed to have a home. A real one, one he would feel safe and protected in, one where he could let his walls down without having to worry about every tiny, little sound surrounding him, without not daring to close his tired eyes at night until he absolutely couldn’t help it anymore. He was sure that his mother would’ve wanted something better for him than this existence he was leading, which had become more of a chore with each day he spent outside, in the cold, alone and shaking.

You see, things hadn't always been like this. Sometimes, when Louis was feeling especially masochistic, he would try to remember how his early childhood had been. Even if his memories were blurred and he might have made some of them up, he was sure that that had been the happiest time of his life.  
And, when he tried really hard, he could have sworn that he was still able to imagine how the fluffy blanket, that once belonged to him, had felt like. Like a warm cloud that he had been able to curl up on for a sense of safety when there was a thunderstorm outside.

A small, sad smile slowly formed on Louis’ face as he sat with his legs spread out in front of him, leaning against the wall of a small bridge that he had found shelter under that night. His eyes were fixed on the water a few feet in front of him that reflected some of the cool, pale light that was cast upon it by the moon. He tiredly pushed his small hand through his hair that had been soft once, but not showering for weeks straight had taken it’s toll on it.

He whimpered quietly and turned his face away as the cold wind, that had started blowing in the early evening, progressively got colder and stronger.  
With slightly trembling hands he pulled a thin, worn blanket out of his little bag that he always carried with him and that held all of his belongings. The blanket was nothing like the one he had had as a little kitten, but it had to do until he was lucky enough to maybe find another one lying around somewhere, unprotected. He hoped the next one would be a little thicker, maybe without any holes, so it would keep him a little warmer for a little longer. But he knew that he shouldn’t hope for things.

He started to cautiously lay down, looking for any litter or sharp objects he could accidentally cut himself with. When he was certain that there were none, he curled up tightly, head pillowed on a balled up shirt of his, shaking little hands clutching onto the thin blanket he had wrapped around his tiny frame. His tail was securely tucked away beneath his black jeans that were slightly too big on him and were rolled up a few times at the ends, so his thin ankles were visible. His soft ears, that were a light caramel with a few chestnut coloured flecks on them, were tightly pressed against his head under his slightly frayed, dark green beanie.

He was aware that sleep wouldn’t be coming easily, as it hadn’t for a long time now. But with his eyes, that were once so bright, now just a faded, tired shade of blue, squeezed shut, wet, dark lashes sticking together, he figured that he would just have to wait.

 

~♡~

 

It was a rather cold, cloudy morning in early autumn, couln’t have been later than 6 a.m, when Louis saw him for the first time. The small hybrid was perched on a bench in the park, knees pulled up to his chest, arms wrapped around his legs. He had been sitting there for a few hours now, silently watching everything around him, following birds and the occasional squirrel with his half lidded, slightly red eyes. Sleep had been even harder to find this last night than usual, nightmares had kept coming und any sound had fueled his imagination.

Louis pulled the sleeves of his knitted, dark grey sweater over his hands and rested his chin on them, fighting to keep his tired eyes open. He wished he could just curl up right here and catch up on a little sleep that he certaintly needed, but he knew that that wasn’t an option. His beanie could slide off of his head at any moment and reveal his ears and someone would see them and call the bad people from the hybrid shelter, he was sure of it. And he had sworn to himself that he’d never end up there again, no matter what.  
He wasn’t something you could just put into a locked room and hope someone might want to take him, take the little kitten hybrid that was nothing but a burden for everyone.

Sighing, he watched a red squirrel that ran past him swiftly, seemingly having a goal in sight.  
Louis sat up a little so he could see a bit further and finally caught sight of something that had him suck in a surprised breath.

There, a few benches to his right, on the opposite side of the path, was a young man, leaning against one of the trees. The man had dark brown, soft-looking curls, that just brushed the tops of his shoulders, in such a delicate manner that Louis immediately imagined what it must feel like to bury his little hands in them and play with them for as long as he was allowed.  
As Louis’ gaze travelled lower, after he had failed to make out the man’s face against the rising sun, he noticed that he was wearing a long, black coat over a perfectly fitting dark blue suit that had a plain black shirt underneath it.The outfit was completed by black boots and must have cost more than everything Louis had ever owned.  
But what really made it difficult for the hybrid to avert his eyes, were the two squirrels, multiple birds and even a little cat, that were all gathered in front of the man, as he fed them with what must have been nuts or bread, Louis wasn’t sure.

A little smile tugged on Louis’ lips as he watched on, fascinated. He had spent so many hours, day and night, in this park and it was so rare to see someone being nice to the animals that lived here, apart from the occasional child. Everyone always seemed to be in such a rush, so distracted from everything around them that they didn’t even spare a second to look around, much less stop and pay attention to the animals that were so dear to Louis.

The man bent over and scratched the white, fluffy cat behind it’s ears, which made it purr so loudly that even Louis could hear it. Might have had something to do with his ears, that were way better than those of humans, but it still caused his smile to fall slightly. When had been the last time someone had shown him this kind of affection? In that moment, he couldn’t think of anything he would have liked more than to be that cat, just for a little while, just for as long as this beautiful man chose to give it his undivided attention.

Louis stared at his own sleeve-covered hands, brows furrowed. Maybe that man would pet him too, maybe if he asked as nicely as he could. But then again, even if he did, Louis would be left feeling even more lonely as soon as he was alone again, so what was the point?

“Excuse me? Um, could you please give the rest of this to the birds?” The small hybrid was torn from his thoughts by a deep, silky voice that came from right in front of him. It was a voice that Louis was sure he could easily listen to for hours, and he had never been able to pay attention to one single thing for too long. Louis openly stared once he had looked up. The man had the most beautiful face the kitten had ever seen, he was absolutely sure. He had the prettiest green eyes and his skin looked impossibly smooth, still slightly tanned from the summer and Louis wanted to know how pale he naturally was, if his eye colour would stand out even more against paler skin.

When the man started looking uncertain und mildly confused, the smaller male suddenly realised that he had been asked something. “I-I’m sorry, what?” He mentally cringed for stuttering, but he had talked so little these past few months that it wasn’t surprising that his voice wasn’t as sure as it would normally be. Despite reasoning with himself, he could feel a blush spread over the tops of his cheeks when the man in front of him smiled softly.

“No need to apologize. I was just wondering whether you could feed the birds for me? I have to get back to work now and I have some seeds left. Unfortunately I’ve spoiled them and they won’t eat the seeds when they’re even one day old, so I can’t use them again tomorrow and-,” Louis couldn’t hold back his giggle at that, but promptly shut his mouth afterwards and stared at the man with wide eyes.  
How disrespectful to interrupt someone like that, especially someone this lovely.  
But the taller one of the two didn’t seem to mind. His smile only widened at the sound of Louis’ laugh and he looked almost.. endeared?

Louis couldn’t help the small smile as he held both his hands out, waiting patiently for the stranger to hand him the seeds, which he did, after looking at the small hybrid with for a few more seconds with soft eyes. “By the way, my name’s Harry. May I ask for yours?”

Harry. Harry. Louis could feel his blush deepen. Why had he told him his name? Was he hoping to see him again? Of course not, he was simply curious, Louis told himself.  
Smiling shyly and looking at the seeds in his small hands, rather than Harry, he softly replied,  
“I’m Louis,” He directed a slightly shaky, but sincere smile at Harry, “I’ll make sure that everyone gets some of the seeds.” He gestured lightly to the birds that were looking at him curiously from a safe distance, probably unsure whether they were going to get more food or not.

“I appreciate it. I hope we’ll see each other again,” Harry looked him up and down for a few seconds, as if trying to memorize him in some way. “Have a lovely day, Louis.” The way his name rolled off of Harry’s tongue in that deep voice had a weird, tingly feeling errupting in the hybrid’s tummy that he didn’t know how to interpret. He decided to ignore it and bite his lip so he wouln’t say anything stupid as he nodded at Harry. His answer was a blinding smile that made him feel a little weak, but before he could think of something clever to say, Harry had turned around and was walking away.

The tingly feeling vanished and the small male could feel his heart sink as he watched him leave, absolutely certain that he would never see those green eyes again. Harry hadn’t even meant what he had said, probably. Of course he didn’t want to meet Louis again, he was just some useless hybrid that didn’t even have anything to call home. He had nothing, really.

Softly sighing once, he pulled his beanie a bit lower and began giving the seeds to the few birds that were left, but that were surely bound to attract way more in no time.

 

Much later, when it was dark and cold outside, Louis laid awake on a bench, in the furthest corner of the park, where he was certain no one would notice him. He looked up at the few visible stars and had to blink back a few tears as the harsh reality caught up to him, as it always did at night. But, as he turned onto his side und curled up as snuggly as he could, eyes closed tightly, he thought of Harry. He imagined that he was in Harry’s bed instead. The bed would surely be impossibly soft and fluffy and just perfect for a little kitten hybrid to sleep on, safe and sound, warm, no matter how cold it may be outside.

And, he thought as he buried his face in the sleeves of his sweater as deeply as possible, Harry would be there, right next to him, skin warm and soft. He’d hold Louis tightly against his chest and shield him from the world, whisper sweet words to him as he stroked his sensitive ears with gentle fingers, maybe tugged softly on his hair.  
And Louis would nuzzle into his embrace and wrap his fluffy tail around Harry’s thigh and purr the whole night through, because he just wouldn’t be able to surpress it.  
And he wouldn’t have to. He’d be warm and safe and protected and loved.

The hybrid shivered as the cold wind hit him again, but a soft smile could be found on his face, too lost in his fantasy to mind much. Sleep found him sooner than it had in months.

 

~♡~

 

The following weeks weren’t easy for the little hybrid. He only saw Harry once more, two days after their initial meeting, but he had been too shy and way too nervous to go up to him, too worried about annoying the tall man somehow.

Instead, he had watched him silently, hidden behind a big bush that still had some blackberries growing on it’s flagile branches. Harry had looked just as beautiful as the first time Louis had seen him, his hair pulled back into a little bun this time, which Louis hadn’t been able to look away from for a good amount of time. He had thought about trying it himself, sitting Harry down somewhere and putting his long hair up into pretty hairstyles, maybe even doing some braids. Braids would surely look great, the fact that Louis had no idea how to braid wasn’t important. He’d learn how to do it if it meant having an excuse to touch Harry’s hair.

Louis had watched as Harry strolled around aimlessly, looking like he was waiting for something or someone, and the smaller of the two had itched to talk to him again but just couldn’t bring himself to.  
Until he had to watch Harry leave, his cold hands shaking slightly, desperate for him to stay a little longer, just a few minutes, but luck wasn’t on Louis’ side.

That day, Harry left, leaving behind a hopeful Louis that believed that the other man would be coming back within days. But that hope died a little more with each day spent waiting anxiously just to be disappointed as soon as the daylight slowly started making way for darkness.

With the weather getting progressively worse and the nights getting longer, and now without any hope to hold onto, short-lived as it may have been, Louis could barely hold on anymore.

 

~♡~

 

It was a dark, rainy day when it happened. The small kitten had been busy collecting some of the nuts that had fallen from nearby trees when he heard a weird sound to his left. Instantly alert, he narrowed his eyes and started moving slowly, clutching a few nuts in his cold hand.

The weather had been horrible lately, always either raining or just being plain fucking cold and Louis was sick of it. All he wanted was to be warm, curled up on a soft surface and just sleep for a few days. Preferably in someone’s lap. Maybe in that of a certain green-eyed man that still haunted the hybrid’s dreams occacionally. But, no, he wasn’t going to think about that, especially not now when he still hadn’t identified that strange noise.

Crouching down a little bit, he cocked his head to the side and furrowed his arched brows a little as he came closer to the source of the sounds that still filtered through the air.

Once he was completely sure that it had to be coming from behind the bush a few feet in front of him, he very carefully advanced, before swiftly pulling the bush to side to reveal.. nothing? Louis let out an annoyed huff and was about to turn around when his beanie was ripped off of his head. Letting out a startled gasp, his hands immediately let go of the few nuts he had gathered and went up to hide his fluffy ears.

“Don’t even bother, I already saw them. Disgusting.” Louis stared at the tall man in front of him with wide eyes, not even taking a second to realise that it was someone from the hybrid shelter. He was looking at the kitten with a clear look of disgust on his face, dark eyes narrowing dangerously before he gripped Louis’ upper arm and yanked him towards the edge of the forest and a black van, ignoring the shrill cries and screeches of the hybrid.

“N-no please! I don’t want to go back there, please let me go, I’ll never bother anyone, you know that! Please!” Louis begged, desperation ringing in his voice as he trashed against the hold on his arm, whimpering pathetically when he noticed how close they were to the car at this point.

While there were multiple people nearby that clearly heard the screams of the kitten, none of them did anything about it, as it was normal for hybrids to be put into shelters against their will. Or in other words, to get them out of the way before they bothered anyone.

The man threw Louis into the back of the van without much difficulty, what with Louis not weighing anything really, and closed the doors, locking them afterwards.

Louis didn’t stop screaming at the man and pounding on the walls of the van the entire ride to the shelter, his ears flattened to his head and his wide eyes wetter than he’d like to admit.

He felt like a complete failure. Again.

 

~♡~

 

As Louis found out just days after getting locked up in the hybrid shelter, it had been a woman that had seen him sleep on one of the benches with one of his ears sticking out of his beanie, that had reported the stray hybrid to the authorities.

He had spent that night sobbing in the corner of his cage, which resembled a very small room, a small bed with one single pillow and a thin sheet pushed against the wall in the corner.

There were, however, iron bars seperating his room from the hallway, where all of the hybrids his age were kept, all tiny rooms spaced apart from each other.

While he was devastasted about having ended up here once again, at least it was warm and at least he was fed pretty well, getting two meals per day. That didn’t stop him from hissing and clawing at anyone entering his ‘cage’, especially visitors that were looking for a hybrid to adopt.  
They took one look at the delicate hybrid, his piercing blue eyes and fluffy ears and tail and fell in love. But Louis was having none of it. He’d rather stay here than go home with some idiot that thought he was some kind of pet that you threw a ball for every two hours or so. He was a person and he wanted to be treated as such. And he knew all of these people that wanted to take him home wouldn’t give him that.  
So he made sure that they wouldn’t want him after amost getting their eyes clawed out as soon as they sat foot in his cage.

It was almost closing time at the shelter, Louis having curled up on his small bed ages ago, when he heard a deep voice somewhere on the hallways. His head shot up so fast his neck hurt and he scrambled to get to the iron bars, gripping them with both of his small hands, staring to the left with wide open eyes.  
After anxiously waiting like that, his mind a complete mess, the man that he thought he’d never see again came into his sight.

Louis instantly let out an embarassingly loud whimper, his heart beating faster than he thought possible.

The sound caught Harry’s attention and he turned towards the source of the desperate noise. At first he just looked confused, but then a mix of disbelieve, recognition and surprise flashed through his eyes as he walked straight towards the kitten behind the bars.

“Louis?” He asked hesitantly, eyebrows slightly furrowed, but a small smile was starting to play on his plush lips.

The hybrid smiled widely for the first time in weeks, looking up at the taller male with wide, hopeful eyes. Was Harry here to adopt? Would he choose Louis and take him home? Even though he knew he shouldn’t be entertaining such happy thoughts, he couldn’t really help it when he saw the way Harry’s green eyes seemed to shine a little brighter than before.

The kitten couldn’t surpress a delighted mewl when Harry’s bigger hand came up and carefully pushed a piece of Louis’ slightly tangled hair off of his face. He immediately pushed into the touch, letting out a tiny purr, before he was reminded of the presence next to Harry by a cough, startling a little and taking a step back.

“Mr. Styles, I’m sorry, but we should continue, the shelter is closing pretty soon.” It was obvious to Louis that that was just an excuse to get Harry away from him, since he seemed to scare away every possible costumer that had ever taken interest in him.  
His ears pressed a little closer to his head in annoyance but before he could say anything that would surely not be helping his case, Harry’s deep voice filled the room once more, making Louis’s gaze snap to him at once.

“Could you leave us alone for a moment, please? Just five minutes, I need to talk to him.” Louis stared at the taller man with wide eyes, his belly tingling softly, pleasently, his fluffy tail swishing in gentle movements behind him.

The employee looked rather bewildered, eyeing the kitten with a suspicious glint in her eyes that Louis answered by tilting his chin up and raising his delicate eyebrows.  
She finally sighed and agreed, telling Harry she’d be back in a few minutes, but that she couldn’t open the door without her being present.

Once she was gone, the confidence left the smaller man and he looked at his small feet, shuffling nervously. He wasn’t sure how to go about this, didn’t know what Harry wanted to speak to him about and he certainly didn’t know how to show Harry that he’d be the perfect kitten for him, if he just took him home. There were so many hybrids here, so many of them perfectly trained and behaved, why would this lovely man choose him? Just because they had previously seen each other once? Surely not.

Just when Louis’ eyes started burning dangerously, he felt gentle, catious fingers under his chin, lifting his head until he was looking into Harry’s warm but hesitant eyes, who was standing directly in front of him, only the bars seperating them.

The tingling in his belly returned immediately after realizing how close they were, his cheeks heating up and probably tinting a faint pink. He felt shivery and unsteady, overwhelmed by the entire situation, having been on edge since he was caught and brought here.

“So this is where you were this whole time,” Harry mumbled, cocking his head to the side.  
“Looked for you, you know. I was gone for a while, visiting my family and when I came home I headed straight to the park. I know how stupid I sound, but I was hoping I’d meet you there.. couldn’t get your eyes out of my head..” He looked at the top of Louis’ head. “..wasn’t really expecting this, though.”

Louis flushed even more, trying to cover his ears with his hands, but Harry caught his wrists in each of his warm, big hands, bringing Louis’ arms back down. His thumbs started to stroke his skin, seemingly absently, leaving the places he touched feeling odd. Tingly, warm. Just as the rest of the delicate kitten was feeling, and he could barely handle it, never having experienced any of this before.

“Don’t. I didn’t mean it in a bad way, I’m just surprised, that’s all. Can I touch them?” Harry bit his lower lip, looking unsure whether or not the question was appropriate. And Louis was pretty sure that he would have flat out refused had it been anyone else, and it didn’t make sense for him to change his answer for this man, because he barely knew him, didn’t know him at all really, but in this moment he wanted nothing more than to do anything Harry asked of him. He nodded his head, holding his breath as Harry’s eyes lit up and his hand moved towards the top of his head.

Before touching Louis’ ear, Harry’s gaze flickered to his again, as if to make sure he was really allowed, then he stroked a finger over the length of it, a barely there touch, but Louis shivered anyway, leaning into it and directing pleading eyes at Harry.  
“You can.. more, if you want.” He whispered, watching Harry smile warmly at him.

Hybrids normally only let people they’ve known for a long time touch their sensetive ears and tail and it required a pretty decent amount of trust as well. But Hybrids also normally weren’t as touch-starved as Louis was, having been alone for so long. It wasn’t normal for them to go extended periods of time without contact with others, it was in their nature to crave physical affection and as much as Louis had tried to tell himself that he didn’t need that, that he was just fine, the feline part of him couldn’t be repressed that easily. He wouldn’t admit it out loud, but sometimes, when he was trying to fall asleep, he’d pull his blanket a little bit tighter around himself and softly run his hands over his arms and shoulders, pretending he was being pet or held.

Harry stroked over the soft fur more firmly, letting his fingertips graze the sides, before pushing his hand through Louis’ hair, scatching softly at the scalp and the base of his ears.

Louis’ eyes were closed, soft purrs escaping him, his head tilted forwards and hands gripping the bars. He couldn’t remember a time he was pet like this, so perfectly it made him feel warm inside. He knew that he shouldn’t be this careless, he didn’t know this man, no matter how much it felt like he did, but he couldn’t bring himself to care. He wanted to ask for more, curl up somewhere and have Harry touch him for a long, long time, but in that moment a door slammed shut, startling Louis. His ears pressed flat against his head and he pressed himself against the bars, closer to Harry, and it scared him a little how fast that reaction became automatic.

Harry’s hand moved from his hair to his shoulder in a calming gesture as the worker from earlier walked towards them, making Louis look up at the taller male anxiously.

Harry seemed deep in thought, hesitant and unsure but at the same time, there was something final in his eyes, like he had made a decision. Louis could feel little temors of suspense shake his core and he lightly fisted his trembling hands in the taller man’s shirt, just to have somehing to hold onto.

Unhurried steps could be heard in the otherwise silent hall as the woman came back, the same bored but slightly irritated expression on her average looking face.  
To Louis, every step she took brought a decision closer that he wasn’t quite ready to be part of. Trying the calm down, he tried convincing himself that it wouldn’t be as tragic to be declined by the man in front of him as he had made it out to be. It wasn’t like they had some deep, long lasting connection, like they had just found each other again after being seperated after years spent together. This was merely the second time they had talked.

But, as the hybrid looked up into Harry’s eyes, which displayed his every emotion, as Louis had already come to know, he knew that it couldn’t be further from the truth. Tightening his hands holding the soft shirt of the other man, he knew, more certaintly than he had ever really known anything, that a rejection from the taller male would be anything but not tragic. It would break his heart and leave him struggling to cope with all the things that were thrown at him in such quick succession. It would break him for reasons that were largely unclear to him, not understanding his desperate dependence that came out of nowhere.

The burning behind his eyes started becoming unbearable.

“Mr.Styles I’m sorry but we’re closing in 10 minutes, you’re more than welcome to come back tomorrow or-” “I’ll take him.” The woman was interrupted by Harry’s voice, sounding sure and not leaving any room for arguments as he held his chin high, staring her down.

A strangled gasp sounded from the other side of the bars as the kitten let go of Harry’s shirt and took a few steps back. The tears that had gathered in his blue eyes spilled over, making their way down his flushed cheeks as he stared at the taller man that was staring back at him with a shocked expression.  
“W-what? I- ..what?” He stammered, not wanting to believe it and let his hopes soar, just to be told he had misunderstood Harry’s words in some way.

Struggling to keep the overwhelming mix of emotions at bay, he clenched his small hands in tight fists, hoping to calm himself down somewhat. He felt confused, hopeful, relieved and apprehensive at once, his skin feeling clammy and hot, waiting for some sort of confirmation, a proof that he so desperately needed.

The taller male tilted his head to the side, looking at the hybrid intently like he was trying to figure something out and Louis felt himself shaking slightly, scared out of his mind that Harry was looking for a fault, for a reason to change his mind. And Louis was absolutely sure that it wasn’t very hard at all to find one.

Harry opened his mouth, looking more unsure by the second, but before he could say anything the woman that was looking back and forth between the two men spoke up, her voice displaying clear irritation. “That’s great Mr.Styles, but we really need to close now. If you still want him tomorrow you can come by whenever and we’ll fill out all the necessary paperwork, but I have to ask you to leave at this time.”

Harry nodded reluctantly, still staring at the trembling feline with furrowed eyebrows. “Yes, okay, I’ll be out in a minute, just.. Louis, you don’t owe me anything, yeah? You can.. you can say no. Absolutely, fot whatever reason, okay? Think about it until tomorrow. Sleep well.”

Briefly flashing Louis a small smile, he followed the worker until the sound of the door to the hall could be heard as it fell shut. It had something final, that sound, leaving behind an almost disturbing silence.

Louis’ tears fell to the grey, plain floor, his head hanging down as he loosened his still fisted hands. His nails left behind little, aching marks on the inside of his palms, but he didn’t really feel it, too caught up in his own mind.

Was Harry really coming back tomorrow? Or had he waited until the last minute on purpose, knowing he would be sent away with the request to come back the next day? Maybe he just didn’t want to outright tell Louis no, so he chose this way and just wouldn’t be coming back, never having to justify his decision to the Hybrid or anyone else.

Sniffling quietly, Louis slowly shuffled back to his narrow bed, laying down facing the wall and curling up as tightly as he could. He carefully wiped away the tracks his tears had left on his his face, his skin feeling wet and soft unter his unsteady fingertips.

Smiling sadly, shakily, he tried to reason with himself that maybe it was better this way. A man like Harry shouldn’t be burdened with a kitten that wasn’t good for anything. That couldn’t cook, didn’t know how to clean, was aware of social rules regarding behaviour. He wouldn’t be able to bring Louis anywhere with him in fear of being embarassed by the uneducated kitten. But Louis would learn for him, would spent all his time trying to make the perfect picture hybrid, but how long would that take?  
No, it was way easier to adopt a feline that knew everything, that was useful and knew all these things, knew how to behave, how to help, how to please. Someone as lovely as Harry deserved only the best.

And as hard as it was for the small male to come to terms with it, to convince his already so dependent, hopeful heart of it, Louis simply wasn’t that person.

 

~♡~

 

The next day passed with Louis sitting in front of his bars, not reacting to anything the workers did or said, staring down the hall as far as he could see, waiting.

Every time the door opened, his heart stuttered as he held his breath, just to feel the sick weight of disappointment as the person entering the hall wasn’t tall, didn’t have soft looking curls, didn’t have the eyes that had engraved themselves in Louis’ mind so quickly.

And as the door was locked, late in the evening, signaling the end of the visiting hours, Louis was sure that he had never felt this stupid, this foolish before. Of course he wasn’t coming back. Of course. But that didn’t make it any less painful, any less crushing to the point that the hybrid found it hard to breathe.

It wasn’t helping that his mind seemed to have accepted Harry as his owner already, seemingly not needing a confirmation from either Harry or Louis himself.

His dreams were filled by the other male, conjuring up images of a perfect home, a nice, warm house that they both lived in together, lazy mornings and evenings spent curled up on a big couch, loaded with pillows. Laughing about everything and anything, talking in soft voices, sharing tender touches.

It was simple, but nothing had ever sounded as good, as heavenly to the delicate hybrid and with every night spent living in his little dreamworld, the harsh light of his reality in the shelter became a little bit more unbearable than it had been the day before.

 

~♡~

 

Exactly one and a half weeks later, Harry came back. It was the middle of the day and Louis was busy sketching little cats on one of the notebooks he had gotten from one of the shelter workers.

His hair was tousled, sticking up in weird directions from sleeping and his white, soft tshirt had a small stain on the sleeve, which, he wasn’t entirely sure where that came from, so he wasn’t going to question it.

He was humming to himself, his fluffy tail softly swishing behind him as he curled and uncurled his toes in his socks, which had small pawprints on them, when his feline ears picked up an unusual noise. His hand that was holding the pen stilled, his ear turning slightly in the direction of the source.

Frowning lightly, he set his notebook down and stood up before walking towards the bars. The hybrid trailed his thin fingers along two of the cool metal bars and finally took hold of them, bending forward slightly to see more of the hallway.

He startled back a little bit when hurried footsteps advanced towards him just after the door was opened. With wide, clear eyes, that were lightly red from silently, secretly crying into his pillow in the middle of the past night after having woken up from another dream, he waited until he saw who it was.

The steps came to an aprupt halt in front of his cage, revealing the same man that had built up his hope just to completely crush it again. Harry was wearing the same black coat and boots that he had worn the first time Louis had laid eyes on him, combined with tight black jeans and a grey jumper. He seemed just as shocked as the kitten, both of them staring at each other, unmoving, until Harry smiled hesitantly, carefully.

“Louis, I’m.. I’m so sorry, I know I said I’d be back the next day, please-” “Stop.” Harry looked taken aback by Louis’ quiet interruption.

The hybrid’s hands were clenched into fists, trembling slightly, but his chin was tilted up and he stared the other man down with all the determination in the world, just his anxiously swishing tail giving his uncertainty away.

“You- You don’t need to explain anything, Harry, really, I understand that you don’t want to adopt me. If you changed your mind you could have just stayed away, you know. Stop.. S-Stop coming back if all you ever do is promise me things that you won’t keep. I’m not playing your little games anymore.” Louis got out in a slightly shaking voice, starting out strong but getting thinner towards the end. Still, he refused to break eyecontact with the taller man, who looked completely confused, yet guilty. Good, Louis thought.

Harry brought one hand up and pushed his long, wavy hair back, exhaling. “Louis, I know what this looks like. You must think I’m just playing with you without any real intentions, but I’m not. I’m really, really not.” He said slowly, sincerely. “I couldn’t come back earlier because of my work, I’m so, so sorry, Lou. And.. And I wanted my home to be- you know, prepared I guess. For- for you. Yeah.” Harry stuttered, flushing a little but looking at Louis with nothing but sincerity in his eyes.

Louis could feel his cheeks getting warm after Harry had called him Lou, seemingly unknowingly, but he still wasn’t entirely convinced. Wasn’t work the excuse he had used the last time he didn’t return when he said he would? Louis didn’t know terribly much about anything work related, never having been granted the opportunity to take on a job of his own, but it did sound fishy to him.

He averted his eyes, feeling confused and unsure but undeniably happy to see Harry again, even though he knew he didn’t really have any valid reason to feel this way.

“You prepared your home? For me?” He inquired quietly, looking back up at Harry while playing with his fingers nervously as he tilted his head to the side.

Harry seemed to perk up slightly at that, nodding surely, a small smile returning to his lips. “Yes! I asked a friend of mine who has a hybrid about your kind and he helped me decorate my guestroom accordingly. I also got all kinds of food that are apparently suited for hybrids and their needs and- and so on. Just wanted everything to be perfect already when I got to bring you- well, home. Louis, I really want to adopt you. Very much.” He finished quitly, smiling openly, his dimple appearing.

Louis, on the other side, was left rather speechless.

He was sure that he was probably completely flushed at this point, but Harry didn’t seem to mind. He let his gaze wander around his small room, taking in the little furniture that he was provided with. He stopped at his bed, which had seen more tears than it probably should have in such a short time and decided that this was a chance he wouln't be getting again. A chance he had to take. 

Smiling hesitantly, he looked back up at Harry, who was biting his plush lower lip and looking at the smaller hybrid expectantly.

 

Louis smiled, a real smile, his ears twitching happily as hope began to build in his heart. 

“Please.” 


	2. Closer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fluff and fluff ! The quiet before the storm.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Helloooooo 
> 
> So I decided to split this fic into more than two chapters so I can update it more frequently and you don't have to wait as long to read new stuff. Does that make sense?   
> anYWAY I really really hope you like it !!
> 
> (This chapter is pretty short, it's a bit of a bridge for the third chapter because shit's about to go down and yeah)
> 
> Love you all

Several months had gone by since Harry took Louis into his home, a house on the outskirts of town. It was rather big, with a few bedrooms and bathrooms, but it never had a feeling of being too spacious or cold. To Louis, since the very first time he had sat foot through the door, all it represented was a chance. A chance at the kind of life he had always imagined and always dreamed of, but was too pessimistic to ever actually hope for. 

 

And while he had certainly tried to tame his hopes and dreams in the beginning, just a few weeks of living in Harry’s home made him believe again. 

The older man hadn’t been joking about preparing the house for the small hybrid. Louis had his own room, with a large four-poster bed decorated with multiple white, soft blankets and so many pillows Louis couldn’t even decide which one to lay on first. 

Sheer veils hung from the top of the bed, reaching the floor and creating a safe cocoon. The kitten loved it, because it made him feel like he was untouchable while being curled up on top of the plush mattress, softly purring away. 

 

Harry had also given him the chance to discover hobbies and interests that he had never been able to spend any time thinking about. As it turned out, Louis absolutely loved baking. He wasn’t very good at it, as he was obviously lacking any and all experience, but it made him beam and blush when Harry ate his little creations. So what if it was a little burned, if it made the kitten so very happy? 

 

Apart from his kitchen adventures, the hybrid liked to paint. Stuttering and shaking he had asked Harry if he could, maybe, only if it was alright, have one or two colours to paint with, scared out of his mind at the idea of seeming greedy.

Harry had hugged him for as long as it had taken him to stop trembling and to start giggling again. 

The next day, Louis had woken up to a canvas in the corner of his room, along with all kinds of brushes and paints. 

“Didn’t know which ones were good,” Harry had quietly explained, his cheeks flushed a warm pink after having caught the kitten, which had jumped into his arms, tears streaming down his face from sparkling blue eyes. 

 

But out of all the things the green eyed man had done for Louis over the last few months, his favourite was that he treated him as an equal. 

He didn’t speak to him like a was, in any shape or form, below him. If it hadn’t been for the soft tail and the set of twitchy ears, Louis might have actually been able to forget about his hybrid status. 

 

And while Louis had been aware of his very real attraction to the taller man since the first time he had seen him in the park, he couldn’t have anticipated how deep his feelings would be running after such a small amount of time. 

They had become pretty cuddly after a few weeks, spending many evenings curled up together on Harry’s spacious couch, watching some movie Louis didn’t pay much attention to. How could he, with his head laying on Harry’s broad chest, hearing his heartbeat so clearly? 

 

With a big hand running through his hair, making shivers run down his spine, he really wasn’t responsible for the way his tail slowly but surely curled around Harry’s thigh sometimes. 

He just.. needed something to ground himself, maybe. He was still figuring it out himself. 

 

But he knew one thing for sure; as the weather outside had gotten colder and colder, his heart had never been so very warm. And the reason for that was Harry, and Harry alone. 

 

~ ♡ ~

 

It was a typical sunday evening, the wind was howling outside and the temperatures were as uncomfortable as you’d expect during this season. 

 

Inside though, it was warm and cozy as Louis carefully unwrapped another piece of chocolate covered candy. He had developed quite the sweet tooth since moving into Harry’s home, now maintaining a healthy weight that he had never been able to reach before. 

 

At first he had felt a little suspicious of his rather curvy hips and thighs, but he came to terms with it pretty quickly once he had realised how the taller man would flush and seem to be very concentrated on not looking away from Louis’ eyes when the hybrid strolled around the house in nothing but an oversized shirt.

 

“How’s the show?” Harry asked as he entered the living room, his gaze directed at the large TV that was positioned on the opposite side of the couch Louis was munching his chocolates on. Earlier that day they had decided to give a new TV show a try, but from what Louis had seen up until now, it was another one of those that tried to make up for the lack of story and humour with naked skin and exaggerated love triangles.

 

Louis gave an unconvinced hum and shrugged his slender shoulders, which were covered by one of Harry’s wool sweaters that the hybrid loved to steal. And up until now, Harry didn’t seem opposed to it. The hybrid’s tail swished softly back and forth behind his back as Harry let himself fall onto the cushions beside him. 

 

The actors on screen were starting a pretty heated scene, making the kitten avert his eyes, a light pink colour dusting his cheekbones. 

 

It wasn’t like he didn’t know what sex was. He knew more than he’d actually want to know, it’s just that it still made him a little squirmy when confronted with the topic.

He’s had to perform several kinds of sexual favours on a man that had adopted him a few years back before he ran away after a few months, including blowjobs and handjobs. 

It was the other way around that he had no expierence with, the man never having returned any of the favours the kitten was expected to do. 

Sometimes, back when the hybrid had lived on the streets, he had regretted his decision to run away. Surely he could handle giving someone a few orgasms every other day when it meant having a warm home to sleep in, even when the sleeping took place on the floor in the hallway. 

 

But he always shook those thoughts away quickly. He wasn’t a sextoy, he was a person, and while the man had never hurt him physically, it had taken quite some time to make himself believe in his selfworth again. 

 

“Everything alright, Lou?” 

 

His gaze snapped to the side, where Harry was looking at him with a questioning expression, clearly having caught onto Louis’ discomfort. 

The way the other man clearly was so in tune with his feelings already made Louis feel warm inside and he couldn’t contain a flustered smile, fiddling with his own slender fingers. 

 

“Yeah, I’m fine, thank you..” Louis hesitated before continuing. “Um, have you, before, um-?” He stuttered out, gesturing lightly towards the screen, his blush deepening significantly as the other man took in the scene that was playing out in front of them, his green eyes widening a little at the question. 

 

“Oh! You mean, if I..?” He looked at Louis with his head tilted slightly to the side, unsure whether he had understood the hybrid right. A timid nod from the blushing smaller man was enough of a confirmation and Harry cleared his thoat awkwardly.

 

“Yeah, I.. Yeah. I have.” He answered cautiously, not wanting to say anything wrong but not being keen on lying to the other man either. 

 

Louis nodded, feeling too warm in his sweater suddenly. He didn’t know what answer he had expected. He didn’t even know why exactly he had asked in the first place, it’s just that there had been this nagging curiosity suddenly. However, there was another question burning on his tongue, but somehow, this one felt more important, almost more intimate and Louis felt jittery as he looked into Harry’s eyes shyly. 

 

“And.. have you kissed someone before? Like- like on the lips?” His voice was almost too faint to hear over the sounds of the TV, the program having switched in the meantime, without either of the men noticing. 

 

During the last few weeks, the hybrid’s eyes had followed the movement of Harry’s mouth as he spoke more and more, fascinated by the way his pink, full lips formed words. And while he had no idea how to kiss, he found himself craving it more and more, playing out scenario after scenario in his head whenever he laid awake at night. The thought of being so close the the other male, of being allowed to lick and suck on his sweet-looking lips made the hybrid feel squirmy and breathless. 

 

Harry looked even more confused than before, a little crease forming between his dark eyebrows. “Yes, Lou. That’s usually.. like, part of it. It’s what leads up to it, normally,..” Suddenly Harry sat up a little bit straighter, looking a blushing Louis right in the eyes.

 

“You’ve never been kissed?” He asked rather incredulously, his voice a little bit higher pitched, like he really couldn’t believe it. 

 

Louis’ cat ears moved to lay a little more flat against his head, tilting backwards as his tail came up to wrap around his own waist lightly. He felt almost exposed, bare under Harry’s sharp gaze and he felt his courage slip as his throat began to close up. 

 

Of course Harry would expect that, who hasn’t been kissed by the time they reached Louis’ age? Surely no one. Nobody but a dumb kitten hybrid nobody wanted to come too close to in a romantic sense. For good reason, if you asked Louis. Still, the look on Harry’s face and the reminder itself made the kitten’s eyes burn.

 

He looked over to the hallway, looking for a way to flee this situation and curl up somewhere in shame when Harry took both of his small hands into his own, prompting him to look into his eyes. 

 

“Louis, no, I didn’t mean to make you feel ashamed or anything.. I’m just surprised that kissing and sexual acts don’t seem to.. like, belong together for you? Normally you kiss someone first, before you move onto.. more. I’m sorry if I made you feel bad in any way, I truly am, please stay here.” Harry told him with an almost begging undertone to his voice, running his thumb over Louis’ knuckles repeatedly. 

 

Louis took a few breaths, blinking a few times and calming down a bit, before he met Harry’s expectant gaze again, pointedly ignoring the way their hands fit together. 

 

“No, I’m sorry, I shouldn’t just ask you those things.. I just, you’re right, I’ve never.. “ His voice faded out towards the end, feeling embarrassed and inadequate. He let his head hang down slightly and a few moments went by before he felt one of Harry’s hands leaving his own and cup his jaw instead, making him gasp softly in surprise. 

 

His face was tilted upwards until he was face to face with the taller man, who had a determined, yet hesitant look in his clear eyes, making Louis’ thoughts race.

 

“You can say no, of course, but.. would you like me to kiss you? You know, to show you what it’s like and all that?” He whispered and Louis could feel his hand on his face shake lightly, like he was afraid of making a mistake. “For science?” Harry added quietly when Louis didn’t respond right away, like he was ready to turn it into a joke, should the hybrid reject him. 

 

But how could he be rejected, when Louis could feel his embarrassment disappear and leave butterflies in it’s wake? 

 

He could feel his cheeks burn even hotter and could only nod once before soft lips were pressed lightly against his own. 

 

His small hands found Harry’s neck on instinct, curling around it and holding on as he closed his eyes and just let himself have this moment and followed Harry’s example when he slowly started moving his lips. Harry pressed slow, careful pecks onto the kitten’s wet lips, before moving away to coax the hybrid to lay down on the sofa, settling between his thighs and holding himself above him on his lower arms.

 

Louis could feel his breath catch at the proximity they found themselves in, with Harry laying half on top of him, his face directly above his own.  Harry slowly stroked a hand through Louis’ hair, moving a lone strand behind his ear.

 

“I’m going to use my tongue now. Is that alright?” He asked quietly into the sparsely lit room, his breath hitting Louis’ lips with each carefully pronounced word. 

 

The hybrid had to push a whimper down, murmering his consent while staring up into his partner’s eyes. His heart pounded excitedly within his chest, his lips still tingled from their last contact with Harry’s and he could have sworn that he had never felt this safe and warm before in his life. 

 

As Harry gently rejoined their lips, Louis’ unsteady hands moved down over his shoulders to grip onto Harry’s strong biceps, his tail having wrapped itself around the other’s leg already.  Louis couldn’t contain a small, high-pitched sound when Harry first opened his mouth to trace Louis’ lower lip with the tip of his warm tongue, making the man above him laugh quietly against his lips. 

 

“Shh, Lou, open your mouth a little bit for me, please,..” 

 

Once the kitten had obeyed his request, Harry let his tongue trace his lips once more, before cupping his face in one hand and slowly licking into his hot mouth. He lovingly flicked his tongue against Louis’ a few times to let him come to terms with the new, unknown feeling, before really starting to kiss him, letting their tongues tangle and massage one another.  Louis’ nails started digging into Harry’s arm without him noticing, to wrapped up in the kiss that made him feel dizzy, his small toes curling tightly within his colourful, fluffy socks. 

 

Another pleasured whine escaped his throat when Harry started gently sucking on his tongue for a few moments, before doing the same to his swollen, cherry red bottom lip. Louis’ eyes were closed tightly, his eyebrows slighty furrowed. Never had he felt such intense feelings of content and pure pleasure. He felt lightheaded and overheated, his belly tingling insistently. If this was how he felt during a kiss, what it be like to get really intimate with Harry? The thought made his private parts throb in excited ecstasy, making him let out another whimpery moan as his mind filled with fantasies he couldn’t hold for more than a few seconds, Harry’s mouth making him lose track of his thoughts with every slick curl of his tongue.

 

The two men kissed until they ran out of breath and Harry moved his head away to rest his forehead against the hybrid’s shoulder, both of them breathing heavily. While both of them had erections, they chose to ignore them, both knowing that they weren’t ready for that quite yet.

 

Suddenly Harry started laughing, breaking Louis out of his daze and making him open his slightly unfocused eyes. “What is it?” He asked quietly, unable to contain a smile, resting one of his hands in Harry’s hair. Harry shook his head, placing a soft kiss on Louis’ neck, before settling his head fully against his shoulder. “Nothing. Just.. can’t believe how you’re so perfect at everything.” He murmured, a sated smile on his face as he closed his eyes.

 

Louis blushed, if possible, even more, wrapping his arms around Harry’s shoulders and hugging him close to his chest, resting his head on the other’s. 

 

“Was just doing what you did..” He placed a careful kiss on Harry’s temple, before settling down to take a nap. 

 

Harry let out a hum before both of them fell into a blissful sleep. 

 

~ ♡ ~

 

It didn’t take long for them to start incorporating kisses into their daily lives. Harry would press a kiss against Louis’ lips every morning before he left for work and Louis would welcome him home again much the same way. 

When Harry left the room, he’d place a soft kiss on Louis’ forehead, was it Louis that left the room, Harry’d recieve a peck and a nuzzle against his throat or collarbone. 

 

Their evenings on the sofa contained very little actual movie-watching at that point. 

More often than not it would consist of a loudly purring hybrid who couldn’t form a coherent thought as the taller male held his face in his big, warm hands and kissed him until his lips were puffy and numb, his cheeks a deep red and his eyes glassy, but shining in happiness.

 

But after a few weeks of this, Louis started to want.. more. He felt guilty about it, because how could he wish for anything more? Harry had given him a home, companionship, trust,  _ friendship _ . How greedy of him to want more than that.

 

But he couldn’t help but stare at Harry’s bedroom door longingly on his way to his own bedroom, wishing they would share one and the same bed. He wanted to fall asleep nestled in Harry’s strong embrace and wake up with hot breaths hitting his neck. He wanted to whisper stupid jokes and secrets to Harry late at night, at that time when everything was suddenly so much funnier than it would be at daytime and see Harry’s beautiful laugh only illuminated by the moonlight coming in from the big windows. He wanted to press his cold toes into warm calves and be pushed away as a ‘punishment’, only to be pulled against a broad chest seconds later, both of them giggling, purring. Most of all, he just wanted to be close to Harry. Because Harry made his heart feel funny and his eyes crinkle and his tummy flutter. He made him feel at home. 

 

But every night, he’d just shake his head and walk into his own room quickly, crawling under the soft covers and hugging a big pillow close to him. He always already looked forward to his good morning kiss the next day.

 

And even if there were small details that he’d love nothing more but to change a bit, if things were to stay exactly how they were now, he’d still be the happiest, most content kitten on earth, in his humble opinion. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!!!!!!!
> 
> I already started the third part, and drama's coming so stay tuned. Smut's coming as well so stay extra tuned. 
> 
> You're incredible for reading this honestly I don't even know what I'm doing lmao

**Author's Note:**

> Kind comments and kudos make me smile. x


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